Found
by Beacon
Summary: As he looked at the red coat lying against the whites and browns of his own clothes, Alphonse had the sudden, distinct impression that he wasn't alone. Edward was with him. End of the series ficlet, slight Elricest


AN: No, don't look at me like that, I am working on 'Now and Forever' I just wanted to write this one shot because Alphonse Elric equals absolute love under any circumstances, and especially episode 51-movie circumstances Anyone, this is intended as Elricest, but if that doesn't float your boat, you can really read this and pure and simple brotherly love since there is nothing sexual between the two at all in this. Anywho, read, enjoy and if you find it either in your hearts or schedule time enough to review, please do so. Love you all!

Disclaimer; No… I don't own anything except my cat, and even then she really just owns herself…

Found

"Here, take this with you." Al looked up from his suitcase at the young woman at the door. She smiled, brown eyes kind and extended the wrapped package in her hands. " I found this in one of the closets and your brother always wore this. I thought you might like to have it."

"Thanks Rose," Alphonse grinned as he accepted the parcel, his honey colored eyes sincere and trusting. "Thank you very much." The girl smiled and gave him a quick nod before she excused herself.

Al watched her go for a moment before he looked down at the brown paper wrapped gift, and gave it a small smile as he set it down on the bed. Carefully, he peeled back the paper and pulled out a red coat. He knew it well; there were so many pictures around the house of the blonde boy with a brazen smile who used to own it. In some pictures, he wore it over his other clothing, sometimes it was slung over his shoulder and at other times, the coat lay over the arm of a large suit of armor that, like the coat, seemed stuck to the beautiful boy like glue.

Alphonse slipped the coat on over his shirt and wrapped it tightly around his front. The red material was slightly scratchy from the years of use it had experienced with its pervious owner, but surprisingly, it didn't irritate his sensitive skin. Instead it seemed to caress him gently, comforting him and protecting him from the other things that were often too intense for his senses to put up with. The coat was almost warm to the touch and Al felt his eyes drift shut as the coat hugged him.

He pulled the hood up over his head and inhaled. It was a musky from a year or two tucked away in closets and from the sweat and, Al could only guess, blood that was never thoroughly washed away. And then there was something else mixed into those scents that Al did not recognize. It was sharp and strong and distinctly male. It was foreign and implacable, but at the same time so familiar and calming that it brought tears to his eyes.

"Brother," he whispered softly into the coat, "Where are you?" The coat didn't reply, but Al liked to imagine that it hugged him a bit tighter, the smell of his lost brother wrapping around him and comforting him.

It was something he could add to his list of things he knew about his brother, the smell at least. He knew what he looked like from the many pictures around the house, and knew that he didn't like milk and that he hated being called short from Winry's occasional reminiscences of Ed. And now he knew what he smelled like. All in all, he thought sadly, it was a pretty pathetic attempt to get to know the brother who had given up virtually everything to get Al's body back. Of course, it hadn't been like Al hadn't tried to find out more, it just seemed that no one wanted to talk about Ed, and Al didn't have the heart to force them. Still, he vowed silently, there would be a day when he saw his brother in the flesh again, and when that moment came, he would find out everything he didn't already know.

He would hear his brother's voice and would sit and listen hours on end as Ed told him all about their adventures together. He would touch his brother's skin and memorize each scar that his brother had been given in attempt to save Al. But, he couldn't do that until he mastered alchemy again, and he wasn't going to do that sitting around here day dreaming

He stood quickly and gently pulled the coat off of his shoulders, hugging it to his chest inhaling his brother's scent one more time before he sadly folded it and tucked it carefully into his suitcase. As he looked at the red coat lying against all of his brown and white clothing he had the sudden, distinct feeling that he wasn't alone. That Edward, his brother Edward, was with him. The realization brought a smile to his face and he closed the suitcase with a snap.

"Ok brother," he said to the room around him "Let's get you back!"


End file.
